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Penn State's press conference with David Joyner: Live updates

David Joyner 2011

Penn State Athletic Director Dr. David Joyner answers questions at a TicketCity Bowl function in 2011. He'll field questions about Bill O'Brien's departure and the search for a replacement at a Thursday morning news conference in State College.
(JOE HERMITT, PennLive, 2011)

11:39 a.m.: Joyner praises Christian Hackenberg as student and athlete. "Our job is to get best football coach possible to lead them forward. We pledge to do that in a contracted time frame.. with great thought and analysis."

"Christian Hackenberg is a tremendous asset at Penn State," Joyner said. Job is to get "the best football coach possible moving forward."

11:37 a.m.:Going forward the new coach must understand that fans are passionate, Joyner says. "This place has lot of life ... I view our great fan energy as a positive and [think] the new head coach will find that as well."

"I don't really think at all. Obviously the environment is whatever it is," Joyner said on whether or not divided fan base drove O'Brien out

11:29 a.m.: Joyner says atmosphere at Penn State is a lot different, and is a lot more "attractive" place than two years ago. "Watching what's happened here over last two year would make me very excited," he says. Promises to be "deliberate but faster" in job search.

Joyner said interim HC Larry Johnson is "a tremendous individual" and if he wants to get into the mix as a candidate, he will be considered

Presumably the topic of discussion will be the departure of coach Bill O'Brien and the university's search for a successor. As Dustin Hockensmith suggests one thing many Lions fans will be listening for is any hints about what kind of coach PSU might be looking for:

Joyner could offer clues about the type of candidates Penn State is seeking. Having watched O'Brien flirt with the NFL in each of the last two seasons, Penn State is likely in the market for a college football "lifer" looking to make Happy Valley a destination job, rather than a stepping stone.

We'll be providing live updates of the press conference right here. Then check back on PennLive throughout the day for more Penn State news, analysis and photos.